(1) Each district shall be as compact in area as possible and the aggregate linear distance of all district boundaries shall be as short as possible. Each district shall consist of contiguous whole general election precincts. Districts of the same house shall not overlap.

(2) Except when necessary to meet the equal population requirements of section 46, no part of one county shall be added to all or part of another county in forming districts. Within counties whose territory is contained in more than one district of the same house, the number of cities and towns whose territory is contained in more than one district of the same house shall be as small as possible. When county, city, or town boundaries are changed, adjustments, if any, in legislative districts shall be as prescribed by law.

(3) Consistent with the provisions of this section and section 46 of this article, communities of interest, including ethnic, cultural, economic, trade area, geographic, and demographic factors, shall be preserved within a single district wherever possible.

They are former state legislator, Gayle A. Berry, a Republican from Grand Junction, from the 3rd Congressional District; former Mayor of Denver, Wellington Webb, a Democrat from Denver, from the 1st Congressional District; and Arnold Salazar, a Democrat from Alamosa, from the 3rd Congressional District.

“When the Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court makes the final four appointments to this Commission, I hope he will make sure that there is a precise balance between Democrats and Republicans,” Hickenlooper said. “That means appointing at least one unaffiliated voter to the Commission. Neither political party should have a majority in this process and we ought to encourage consensus on the Commission.”

Further, although it is possible that Chief Justice Bender will honor the letter of Governor Hickenlooper’s request to round out the commission with apparent partisan balance and appoint an “unaffiliated” member, it is all but certain that the token “unaffiliated” commissioner will be an INDO at best (Independent in Name, Democrat in Orientation), if not an outright Democrat in unaffiliated clothing. In fact, the leading candidate for the token “unaffiliated” slot is reportedly none other than former Gunnison Democrat legislator Kathleen Curry, according to the Denver Post:

“I applied and have been told by Justice Bender that I am being considered,” she said, in an email.

Republicans (and actual independents) may console themselves with what may appear to be a relatively close balance on the commission, but the reality is clear: once again, just like the last time around, Democrats will dominate the commission membership, with insurance picks provided courtesy of the Colorado Supreme Court.

On the bright side, the Republicans will be ably represented on the Reapportionment Commission by two of the sharpest and most knowledgeable minds available, thanks to inspired picks by both House leadership (Speaker Frank McNulty selected former Rep. Rob Witwer as his delegate) and Senate leadership (Senate Minority Leader Mike Kopp selected attorney Mario Nicolais as his delegate). According to the Reapportionment Commission staff, “this is the first time that legislative leaders have not appointed serving legislators” to the commission; if so, the selections are a welcome break from tradition and demonstrate some fresh, “out-of-the-box” thinking.

Unfortunately, we are once again witnessing in slow motion the erosion of our liberty – aided and abetted by the Colorado Supreme Court.

Clear The Bench Colorado will, with your support, continue to promote transparency and accountability in the Colorado judiciary, informing the public to increase awareness of the substantial public policy implications of an unrestrained activism and political agendas in the courts. We will continue to work with legislators and others interested in reforming the systemic shortcomings of Colorado’s “merit selection & retention” system to increase transparency and accountability to the public, and to provide useful evaluations of judicial performance.

However, we can’t do it alone – we need your continued support; via your comments (Sound Off!) and, yes, your contributions. Freedom isn’t free -nor is it always easy to be a Citizen, not a subject.